The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1887-06-30

OF SINALoA, AND THE DAILY LIFE OF ITS
| INHABITANTS. SOME STATEMENTS BY THE
ALLEGED 'STARNING VICTIMS THEM.
SELVES CONCERNING THEIR CONDITION AM
| MANNER OF LIVING.
Correspondence of the journal.
MEXICO, June. 1887. We have hear., a Great
deal Of late about the suffering, of these
Topolobampo colonists of socalstc proclivi i
ties who. some months ago, forsook the United
States to establish new homes in Mexico accord
| in. to their own ''adyanccd" opinions. IIal-
| rowing items have gone the rounds Of the press
| representing the already disguised and inn
poverished victims of Il vilIainous or hair
Drained scheme, as sttin. at this moment on
bleak rocks by the sea. in IL famshiny con,li-
tion and pnins for home. hut with no money
to get away with; and it has been alleged that
there las been not only gross mismanagcmrnt
on the part of Col. A. X. Owen, the Moses Of
the exodus, but deliberate rascalty in tlcl,,,ling
those who trusted him and appropriating to
himself their worldly all.
| There are two sides to all questions and this
certainly cannot he called one of small import
ancc. Therefore wishing to Get at the truth Of
the matter, and knowing from personal a.
| III tilc t;tSl lliilt o. owen Stands
| among the highest rs Il man of lnoubted in
| tesrity AZ We'll rs one of exceptional ability. |
| determined to get at the other side of this
pirture-the side of the colonists themselves
Not being prepared to visit the field in person
| Just vet, | have been i'm correspon,Ieucr with
some of the so-calle.l ''Slltlerers," and can now
give you tirst-hant, without prejudice or per-
| sona interest, their own voluntary statements
of the actual condition of affairs at this time
| space will not permit reproduction entire Of
late,
extracts will set forth the particulars of great
est consequence. Since these letters were
| written in confidence. have no right to pub
li>h the names of the sender>; but to any who
are genuinely interested enough to make per
| sonal inquiries. | can give the addresses of
coonsts now in Sinaloa, who may be reached
| by similar private correspondence.
| says onc-not II cOlOnist himself. but who
resided some time among them:-"A quaint.
peculiar colony is this Of Topoobampo, in
more ways than one. and marked are its nIrni-
l'crs for earnest. re>o!ute purpose. and for the
| industry. skill, education. patient determination
| and intelligence which distinguishes their
every day life Yet these worthy persons en-
| gagged IN Il business enterprise in Whi, they
| have simply put their own money and their
| own services to the exclusion of borrowed
| capital and hired labor, have been abused. be-
! 1fayc'. ntignc'i and nisreprc>cnteI, probably
more than any other cmyra,i> Of recorded
| times. II we except the prosecutions which
|
members OF religious 'crtS who have separat-
ed from their countrymen and gone to make
| new homes among strangers.
| 1t is amli>in" to witness the quiet lItlniur
| which plays upon the countenanc..> of the
| Topolobampoans while the Secretary of their
meetings is reading some of the criticisms of
| themselves. their harbor, bark-country, climate,
| etc.. as published in papers Of the nte,
States; and happy have they been since those
.tonspirators." (the name hy which the IIaw-
kings-Eaton party are now krown in Sinaloa)
| stole away between two days and sailed for
| Gusamas.
| | asked Col. owcn-whu has remained with
| the t"loni>ts rs much of the time lis the east
ern end of the business would ,rmit what
| he thought of the harsh comments rol,-ernin.
tn" enterprise and himself Ignoring the lat
| ter part of the question AS II matter of little
moment. he said: "Whrn God made Il PARA
| disc. you know that to fully show its merits
| 10y contrast he also made Il hell-henre we have
Lncttrr. The Credit Foncier Company in
| auguratcd lis cooperative enterprise 10y the
sea. in the wcll-seectcd zone between the
riNers-in the Mesopotamia of MeNico'> west
| ern coast. between the rivers Fucrtc and Sin
aoa: but in order TO show OIL the cNi>tin"
attractions and actual advantages of the Ioc.-
ton and enterprise. it was necessary to have Il
black background hence tile good angels cave
| rs WurhinS."
That these plicky c"Ioni~t> have been allie
to continue strong and happy after Il drought
| which threatened famine in northern >naoa.
| an epidemic of measles and another of small
poX Il WELL l-plannctl conspiracy by three of th, ir
| own pircrtors-theSc unexpected calamiticS
| all coming upon them at once when newly
| arrived in strange land, coHtcn,ln@ with the
difficulties of a ora1 on never before inh,Ijt,a
bv man. covered with a thick Growth of ,yrs-
| uuiie and cacti incon, cnienred for fresh water
| and apparently ont of reach from everywhere
speaks Ill action that l. olnIuont ,,nr.. fnr.illy
| than any words. of The strength OF their con-
| .fI.ln, al Stt,h = J. -
Says my correspondent, 81 passed six weeks
anon" these good folk, and during that period
| l,ald NV" visits 10 each of their settlements
that at the harhor AMI those called toh,iili;,hli
| Suffrage and Negaton; | have travelled over
| their 80 miles of wagon road eat straight
through the -Nonte, from North Avenue. on
| the building site fronting Ohuera H.v to N.u-
atom OH the left bank Of the Fucrtr: have
| sailed mp and down the beautiful bay between
the stone piers of Topolobampo and Guyanh;>.
to the Credit Foncier Company aud is Cap
tanned ami manned by the .ioloni>ts: and
| wish to bear emphatic testimony to the fact
| that the Topolobampo people have come IN
| stay. and will show a markc, record for thrift
| and good management which cannot fail to
| pf"dticc astonishing results within a year from
the tIne OF their landing at Srhillhan> cove and
to'nhielh.ln% t" tear away their bu>h", that
| they might pitch their tents"
There is no noise nor hustcr in the gather
h'S ". wv t"ioiiNb>, -iio ioti'l WORDS nor lln
| OF business, very little smoking, and no quar-
ieilnS whatever. quiet, mteectual deter
niintd atmosphere pcrva'ieS the place; and
dolibt II there were ever group of 30. per
sons tlhc number now in Sinaloa). recently
acquainted with one another. as happy, indus
| triotis, cohtcnted. and free from diseases anl
| amthtS or any KIND AS are these Americans
| IN Slnaoa. They have plenty of good drink
ing water at the landing. and of course that
| the ftcrtc c'>trong) river is superior par
| excellence The supply of food. brought from
| Colorado, Illinois, California. etc. has been
abundant and of good and varied quality. The
| lI>h supply Is lncNhaustihIe: they have also
ducks, deer an'i perc"rieS. beside, turt'elleSh
and eggs, oysters, CLAIMS. etc.. while during at
| least Two months ot The year wild duck egg>
are As plehtltnl as blackbcrrics in New En--
| iahd."
. oil SUNDAY evenings the tolonI>ts have pub
| ne readings; Monday and Tuesday evenings
| they hol'l meetings for general discussion: and
| saturday evenings the young and fri>ky folk
dance IN the grcat dining hall. from eight to
| yen ocioch. ne work which these people
| nave already accomplished shows in all that
stretch Of country between the sea and The
| valley. They have cleared the ridge on the
their landing; their stone pier has been eN-
tended into T. feet water; they have stakc,l the
corners of the blocks fronting the straits; built
| aslohe house at the landing, lOONl00 feet. with
| walls three feet thick. and in it have housed
about ~ persons. This is called "lIarbor
Hall. The dining-room in it Is l3Xll feet.
Their Kitchen 2'Nl4, storc-room 26Nll; and
iiiey also have laundry under the same roof
lnihis enrampment are now about l3o persons.
| The headquarters of the company is called
Albert> Hall, and is frame building 30N3oXl2
fx.Nf nI.